Monday, March 30, 2009

A band swim


A little while back the band took a swim in a Crowne Plaza pool and hot tub. Let's take a looksee shall we?
Danny and I enjoying a little pool action. After hours and hours in the Pocket Rocket nothing is better than 30 minutes in the pool then 15 in the hot tub.
Nate doing a little stretching. Nice form buddy. Gotta keep those golden driving arms in tip top condition. Nate is our primary driver after all.Very graceful Eri. Well done.

Peace out y'all,

Josh

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Rudyard Kipling, the place not the author

Our travels brought us to the fine cit of Louisville, Kentucky this past Friday evening, the home of the slugger. Louisville slugger that is. We've played Kentucky a few times before but this was certainly our best performance in the "bluegrass state" (bluegrass for the actual grass that is blue, not the music). Tenia Sanders opened the show and really blew us all away with her voice and songwriting chops. She played a rockin' 45 minute set. We bought her cd and everything.As we were sitting down to have a few drinks before the show Danny's parents walked in the joint all the way from Chicago! You rock Rosenthals. You rock hard.I can't believe they drove down to suprise us. That was truley rad. Fans that we met in Frankfort, KY (the capital y'all) also drove west to join us in Louisville. Hells yeah Aaron and Missy. Thanks so much for making the trip. Overall the Rudyard was a good place. Good audience and pretty good sound that evening.

Stay cool,

Josh

Saturday, March 28, 2009

A Belt to the Face (or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Belt)

Greetings Rocket Readers,

We were traveling from St. Louis to Louisville, enjoying our time in the van, when we heard a "clunk-thunk-thwapp-thwapp-schnanck". Danny reported the power-steering was feeling a bit wonky, Josh reported a smell of burning rubber, and upon checking the instruments, we saw the thermostat was pegging into the red. We had shredded a drive belt, and were forced to pull off the road, and into a small service station to assess the situation.


After placing a few phone calls, and checking into the situation, we decided to try and limp the van to the nearest repair shop, a place called "Dallas' Repair Shop". The problem being that the drive belt runs the water pump, which cools the engine. Being that the Rocket has a 7.2 liter 440 hp big-block in her, she can heat up pretty quickly. Thankfully, we were in a rather hilly area, so we managed to climb the Rocket up the hills, cut the engine, shift into neutral, and coast down the hills. We managed to Dallas' shop, where Dallas himself managed to help us out with a new belt, some great stories, and a lot of great photos. He said he'd been at that shop for 50 years, and had owned the shop for 20+ years. Here's a small sample of the haps:

Dallas checks out the situation


A chunk of the offending belt


Dallas and I apply some torque




Gasket central!



This place smelled awesome, like grease, sweat and history.


Dallas jacked her up good



Dallas and Drew got the job done


So, after an hour or so, Dallas and Drew got the new belt on and sent us on our way. Not only was everyone at the shop very good to us, but they charged us a pittance to have the work done. It sure was awful nice to meet all you fine folks, and we wish you nothing but the best. Thanks Dallas!


Erika and Dallas, BFF



So, the moral of the story is as follows: If you're traveling in a '77 Dodge van, carry extra belts along with all the fluids and tools you need. So, upon returning to Chicago, we'll pick-up a set of belts and load-in and store the floor-jack and a few jack-stands, along with some more wrenches, a pry-bar and some other assorted madness. But given her age, she's still running like a champ. It's also time for another oil change and a few more miscellaneous upkeep challenges.

-Nate on bass

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Star and Micey Incident

I, Danny, did a horrible and stupid thing by accident a few days back. We played at Murphy’s in Memphis, TN with a band called Star and Micey, Geoff, Joshua, and Nick. They were so talented and nice. They stood up in front and watched us. Oh man, look these guys up because they have a great sound. It was like Bright Eyes and Flight of the Conchords. Josh, Star and Micey guitar, walked around the room and had people join in by stomping on the ground or playing the table. After they played a song and people clapped he would say, “Josh and the Empty Pockets,” pointed to us and people would clap again. It was really funny and nice. He even gave us a round of applause when we left.

This is when it happened. It was raining so we jogged to the car, got in, and pulled out. Now, the stage inside Murphy’s is in front of a bunch of sliding glass doors so you can see everything on the the outside. We stopped the Pocket Rocket behind the windows and waved goodbye. I couldn’t help it but when I stuck my hand out the window, out of pure instinct I may have flicked everyone off. It wasn’t like a full on “fuck you,” but I definitely did it. I was trying to do a “you’re number 1,” but I don’t think it worked.

Dear Joshua, Geoff, and Nick,
You guys are really great. I enjoyed your show much. Thanks again for having us play with you. You may have noticed when I left and waved goodbye from the car, I kinda flicked you off. I didn’t mean to. I thought you were great. I was trying to do a, “you’re number one,” and point thing. I felt really bad about it. Again, you guys rock and I am very very sorry. I hope we can play a show again.

Cheers,
Danny R.

http://www.myspace.com/starandmiceymusic
http://starandmicey.com/

I am an idiot.

Last night after our show at Murphy's in Memphis with Star and Micey (which was f-ing kickin' by the way) we arrived back at the Holiday Inn Select at about 1am. We decided that we weren't tired and we burned some steam by walking around the hotel. This particular Holiday Inn Select (they're all different we've learned) has like this indoor courtyard thing that all of the room doors face. We ended up setting up this photograph of us all on different floors and the camera across the way. The timer on our camera only gives you 10 seconds so I had to run from one side to the other. Very first time a wiped the hell out on the carpet:
Rug burn. Yuck. Got the photo tough:
I just barely made it across. Now it was all worth it,

Josh

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

She Drives!

We really saw a band milestone today. Up until this point, the Pocket Rocket has been driven exclusively by the boys. Erika was a little bit scared of the beast (and she is a beast) and her legs were just a little to short. But we fixed that right up today at an Oklahoma gas station with a pillow and a shot of PcP (just kidding...).

She was a tad bit wobbly at first (Erika, not the van) but after just a few minutes Eri got the hang of it and we were off to Memphis. It wasn't a particularly easy drive either. The weather cooperated nicely and the twists and turns of Pittsburgh and New Jersey are much worse than Oklahoma and Tennessee but the trucks on I 40 we all the hell over the place. Houses and everything! That was a tough one to get around. So this marked the first time in Pocket Rocket history that all three of the boys rode in the van without driving. Oh and what a time it was...

Nice job Eri! Hooray.

Monday, March 23, 2009

NBC Austin Recap


It was about a week ago now, though it seems like months at his point because so much has happened since then, but I just got pictures from our appearance on KXAN, Austin's own NBC station. The folks over there are awesome and they had a nice little studio. We just went swimming in the Dallas Crown Plaza hot tub and in about an hour we mosey on down to Poor David's Pub in uptown. Should be a pretty cool show. John Lee Hooker, Bob Schneider and The Dixie Chicks are just a few groups that have played there before.

Later,

Josh

Sunday, March 22, 2009

The Ole Moulton Bank Adventure (band mothers, don't read this post!)


The Pocket Rocket leaves Pearland and a few hours later enters into Moulton, population 944. Nothing is here. The most major street is deserted except for three cars and an open doorway to the corner bar, Ole Moulton Bank, a turn of the century bank turned bar/club/vintage guitar emporium and our venue for the night.


We’re unpacking the van, changing into our finest Texas attire. Danny’s sporting a hat and vest, Nate and Josh are both wearing plaid and Nate’s got a vest, too. A teal pickup drives slowly by. “what kind of music do you play,” asks one of the sun-weathered older gentleman in the truck. “do you play anything like this,” and he cranks the stereo so we can listen to the country music inside. Harvey (by now we’ve introduced ourselves) opens the door for us to hear better. Of course we can play this kind of music. Johnny Cash, Buddy Holly – we’ve got you covered!


Harvey and G.R. (the future mayor of Moulton) proceed to spend the rest of their night with us. I dance with both gents and they very politely ask if I am married before swinging me around to the birds chirping outside like there is loud music and I have no legs.

Jim is the owner of Ole Moulton Bank and definitely one of the hippest dudes around. He’s the luthier (guitar-builder/repairer) for Greg Allman and he’s as easy on the eyes as Clint Eastwood.


During set up and sound check, Josh mentions he’s sorry he didn’t bring cowboy boots and a hat to tonight’s show. G.R. disappears, returning moments later with his own beautiful custom black and red initialed boots and in seconds, Josh is tucking his jeans into the leather goods while sporting Jim’s cowboy hat.


We play a little of everything for these cats. Some blues, some Buddy, some country and of course, Rock and Roll, sneaking in an original tune between every few. They seem to dig it, and we play great among the rows of mounted awesome guitars, mandolins and a variety of other stringed instruments.

After packing up our gear into the Pocket Rocket, it’s time to head onward to Austin where the La Quinta Inn awaits our arrival. So we say our goodbyes to everyone in the bar and laugh off their suggestions to stay on major highways and such. Then we’re back in the van, the Garmin has been programmed to the next destination and we’re off.

Nate: Jim said he bought it for a song

Josh: And not even a good song

Nate: It was in b minor

Josh: A sad key, but not the saddest key of all.

Danny: What’s the saddest key?

Nate: D minor.

We are in the heart of Texas. We almost just hit two possums, and that’s the church from footloose on our right. Missed our turn and made a three point turn in front of a horse one yard away.


Now things get a little crazy. We’ve already reminisced about the evening, the characters we’ve met (Harvey, GR, Jim, Cynthia and Annette) and the ones who we spoke to before leaving. We realize we need to get gas, but figure we’ll pass something soon. We don’t. It’s really isolated wherever we are and we’ve barely seen a house for miles, let alone any sort of gas station. After awhile, Danny turns around as the car begins to sputter.

Yes, we’ve run out of gas (and this is where my mother stops reading if she’s dared to venture this far). We’re on FM 1296 (not a major highway) near CR 447 (barely a dirt road) in Waelder, TX.

As the vehicle rides it’s last fuel injected yards, we put it into neutral and Danny throws the Pocket Rocket into park so the boys can get out and push while I sit on the edge of the seat to reach the pedals and steer us out of the road onto the grass. Thanks to our buddy Greg, we have digital road flares (to alert attention to the beast), two removable battery-powered lights and a video camera (lights = very helpful all around, camera = good for documenting our untimely death on the side of the road in Texas).


In this part of the grand state of Texas, we are truly surrounded only by land and stars. And coyotes. Throngs of howling coyotes. Nate sniffs the air, channels his best farmer mojo, and declares they are still about ten miles away. In the meantime, we make Texas Chainsaw Massacre references (which only Danny had seen) and imitate Blair Witch Project scenes, and my emotional state vacillates between that of a horror movie and an Adam Sandler movie.

We make a movie. We look at roadside cactus. We see four cars drive by in over and hour. We find the Big Dipper and Orion bright in the sky. We wait.

We sing songs, redirect lost emergency vehicles via cell phone and Garmin (sponsorship?), eat Eileen’s precious bags of Ruffles and Chips Ahoy, and look at the stars again and again until Nate says “the coyotes are getting closer” and has us get in the car.

Finally, a massive rig shows up to haul us, along with a local policeman from Dearborn, MI. Ira, the wrecker who grabbed us through triple A and a bonafide cowboy complete with the hat, works under our van (remarking that it’s good he got here before the coyotes did), he works over his truck, and eventually that massive fucking van is atop his truck bed and we are nestled comfortably in the cab. Johnny Cash is blaring on the stereo and Ira speaks in such a thick accent, that I can only understand every few words and soon give up to hide in Josh’s shirt as Ira takes 15 mph turns at 80. He offers to drive us all the way to Austin, but we decline and instead he takes us in the right direction to a Love’s gas station where we fill the tank, eat late night Subway sandwiches, and get back on the road to Austin, narrowly missing a deer and a drunk driver on I-35 North.


Thanks, Dashboard Jesus, for keeping us safe this fine evening in Texas.

Goodnight,

Erika

Saturday, March 21, 2009

SXSW and Pearland

We played a great set yesterday at the Parish on 6th street right smack in the middle of things at SXSW in Austin. Crazy festival, awesome people and a rocking good time. A band didn't show up in time so we got to play an extra 20 minutes which was prett lucky, we thought anyway. Great experience and we're looking forward to an even better show at SXSW next year. We even had a little billing:

Deep in the heart of the Land of Pears, just south of the Houston city limits and NASA mission control is where we spent this past evening getting some sleep and enjoying our Saturday afternoon "off" (sort of) before we head to Moulton, a small town nestled in southeast Texas.

My cousin Eileen and her boyfriend Steve have a great (and huge) house on a really pretty suburban street. They've got four bedrooms and the kitchen has twenty foot ceilings. The whole band got an excellent night sleep. It's always great to change it up and not sleep in a hotel. Eileen also made the whole band breakfast burritos! Sweet. Home cookin'. Steve's dad is also in town and Steve (who works at NASA for god's sake) took his pop in for a little tour but unfortunately while a shuttle is in space a lot of Mission Control is off limits.

I know we've only been on the road for a week but it feels like a month. I also can't believe we have so many cities left on the tour (Dallas, Tulsa, Memphis, St. Louis, Lousiville, Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, Indianapolis). Oy vey.

We will of course let you know how the Ole Moulton Bank show goes this evening.

Take it easy,

Josh

P.S. Oh and we saw Bob Schneider in Austin yesterday at a free 6pm show at SXSW and he was awesome. Bob, if for some crazy reason you are reading this, you should have us open up for you on tour. We love your music (we listen to "Lonelyland" and "Boom Boom Baby" at least every other day in the van) and respect you as an artist to the highest degree. Rock on Bob:

Friday, March 20, 2009

A Meaty Delight

Life is filled with moments of total clarity, of oneness with the surrounding universe. These moments come in many shapes and sizes, from a simple thought that falls into place to clarify a gigantic puzzle to a physical pilgrimage across unknown terrain. These moments are also handily packaged into the flaky, savory delight that is a Boomerang gourmet veggie & meat pie.

While poking around SXSW at the Auditorium Shores, listening to the dulcid tones of M. Ward [mwardmusic.com], our buddy Sam directed us towards a small stand selling Australian-style meat pies. Having our interest piqued, we sallied forth, and purchased some pies to sate our hunger.



Get ready for deliciousness!


Upon biting into the crispy, buttery Nirvana-in-a-crust, everyone in the band exploded with interjections of praise. As we greedily consumed our gourmet goodies, we talked with Matthew Miller, the manager of Boomerang's, who was working the stand that night. He was incredibly gracious and kind, and had a wonderful sense of humor. He even let us take a picture with him! Boomerang was offering three different pies that night, the Bootlegger Steak and Cheese, the Chicken Thai pie, and the Spinach and Mushroom pie, but Matt ensured us that he has a multitude of pies that he makes.


The Pockets and Matthew Miller of Boomerangs!


So look, here's the deal. Boomerang's [boomerangspies.com] makes some incredibly delicious pies, and Josh and the Empty Pockets are officially huge fans. So, check them out on the web (and on Facebook!), and if you're ever in Austin, you have to stop by Boomerang's and try their pie. Having spent time in Australia, I will vouch for the "Aussie-ness" of these incredible pies. We know you'll be converted immediately into a wide-eyed, pie-loving fanatic whom would step over his own grandmother to have another bite of their delicious pie.



Danny <3 Meat Pie

Thursday, March 19, 2009

The News

We had the pleasure of appearing on the afternoon Austin, TX news today. It was a pretty sweet time all in all. We were greeted very warmly by weatherman-extraordinaire Shawn (who, in his spare time has 2 kids and 4 foster children!) and were able set up our stuff while basking in the warm Texas weather coming through a large loading door. 80 degrees in Austin today. F-ing perfect. The show started at noon and we were on at 12:20 and 12:55. NBC 36 KXAN was the station. Check em' out online. Our segment should be posted sometime later today.

We also ate at an awesome barbeque place called the Ironworks. Holy crap that was good. We're gonna go check out what SXSW has to offer this evening. We're all real tired an account of the insane schedule of the last 4 days so maybe a nap first is in order. We play tomorrow at 2pm at The Parish and shortly thereafter we head to Houston for more rock and/or roll.

Have a swell day,

Josh

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Hours

Too many hours. In a car that is. It was about 22 hours in the car in the last 48 hours or so. Holy shit. That wasn't a great plan. No time to dilly dally anywhere I guess. We've played shows in Milwaukee, Madison and Des Moines in the last three and a half days and now I'm sitting in a La Quinta in Round Rock, TX.

We drove:

And drove:
And then things got crazy:Crazy:

We finally did make it here (Round Rock, just outside of Austin). Time for sleep.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

St. Patricks Day in Des Moines


St. Patrick's Day is a big deal in Des Moines. It's not a real populous town but there were plenty of characters out this afternoon as we pulled up to our Tuesday show at Java Joes on 4th street. Seriously though, characters:

Danny and I were right outside of the van when this dude in a pink frock (as you can see above) approached us. He was pretty tanked (it was only about 5pm at this point but all of Des Moines had already committed to the Irish) so I'm not sure if the dress was normal attire, St. Patrick's Day wear (though I don't really get the dress then) or a drunken bet. Maybe a combination of the three.This photo was taken moments after the last. Except that captain pink frock has just flashed Danny and I. It was horrible and hillarious, as you can see by my reaction. And then in a flash, they were gone:
Wow. That was eventful. In the above shot you can also catch a glimpse of our new Pocket Rocket ortanment... the Dashboard Jesus. We hope to have many more dashboard passengers soon. Earlier in the day Nate was doing his best to fulfill his band mechanic duties, changing fluids and whatnot:
Nice Job Nate. The van's been running great. Overall the Des Moines expereince was excellent. Java Joes is a totally hip place with good food and an entire room devoted to live music and other entertainments. Thanks so much Amy and Tim for having us. We had an excellent time!